Past Tense
by kittsbud
Summary: Clark and Lois go on an adventure in the Kawatche caves. (Lois POV) COMPLETED!
1. Default Chapter

**Past Tense**

I don't really know when it hit me. Maybe it was in Metropolis at the Daily Planet, but maybe, just maybe it was all those years ago in Smallville. I would never admit it to myself of course, and neither would Chloe, but when I look back my cousin and I were far too sharp not to have somehow unconsciously known.

What am I blabbering about you might ask? Well, to explain that I have to go back a few years to an era when we should have just been teenagers having a good time, but Smallville, despite its small town, small name reputation was always about more than that.

Chloe Sullivan, my cousin, worked on the school newspaper back then- a career the 'army brat' in me had no intention of following. Yeah, right, look at me now! Anyway, Chloe worked with a guy named Kent, and after she got herself in a whole lot of trouble testifying against Lionel Luthor, I had the pleasure of meeting said Clark Kent in all his unclothed glory. Okay, so I wasn't complaining!

Still, back to the story. By the time Clark had come to his senses, (I still don't know the whole deal about him being a naked and dazed amnesiac in a field, but what the heck) we had found Chloe, and life was back to some semblance of normalcy. Or was it?

Chloe loved the guy, I could see that right from day one, but he just didn't love her back. And me, where did I fit in? Well, to put it simply, I'm sure we hated each other with a passion- at least it felt that way. My snappy comments and attitude obviously grated his nerves, and his totally naïve approach to everything left me gaping. I mean, come on, could someone like him really exist in the world today? He seemed to look at life with blinders on, but you see, there was the catch.

It wasn't really Clark who wore the blinders; it was the rest of us. I should have seen right through him from the start, but hey, that's a trick I found out later he could do quite literally!

Chloe and I were blinded by the Kent charm. I know that now, even though at the time I would have choked with laughter if someone had suggested I had even a tiny spark of affection for the farmboy. Me, Lois Lane, falling for a plaid wearing geek? Never! But somewhere deep down, right after we'd first met, I wasn't just falling for him, I'd hit the ground with a thud and there was no escaping the outcome. I just didn't discover the fact until years later.

How else can you explain how both Chloe and I managed to overlook his daring deeds? He'd vanish virtually in front of our eyes, pipes would burst just at the right time to save our asses from angry football players, and helicopters would miraculously develop engine problems in his presence. There are so many other instances, but I won't bore you with them. What I will do is take you back, back to a day when even discounting all the other impossible things Clark did, THAT day; I should have known for sure that he was different. I'll leave you to make your own minds up, but I think I already know the answer…

It was a beautiful morning in Smallville. Perfect for riding through the short country lanes with my red Mustang's roof down, taking in the air, and basically facing Clark Kent for the first time since I, and two other girls had all but killed him.

I had little memory of my actions, or Lana and Chloe's, but the scars on Jason Teague's face left nothing to the imagination. From what Chloe had been able to pry from him, we'd be no less inhuman with Clark. Jason had found the bloodied farmboy hanging up, tied, and half naked in the barn, and I had been a party in the proceedings.

If Lana had been on her way to the Kent farm, I have no doubt she'd have been all apologetic and brimming with that usual expression of virtuousness of hers, but hey this was Sam Lane's daughter, I didn't _do _apologetic. I was on my way to do what dear Daddy had taught me. I wanted answers as to what had happened, and I wasn't afraid to use the full frontal assault approach to get them.

The Mustang died as I killed its ignition in the Kent driveway, but I didn't climb straight out. Instead, I lifted my shades and peered at Clark tossing hay up onto the back of his father's tractor. Every bale seemed weightless in his grasp, and he was obviously so deep in thought he hadn't noted my approach.

"Hey, Smallville, I'm glad to see you finally finished cleaning all the lingerie out of the barn!" I let the comment slip out, and then waited for his eyes to narrow and an expression of contempt to shoot my way. Sure enough it did.

Clark dropped the bale in his hand onto the back of the tractor and then began pulling off his work gloves. "My parents knew I hadn't been up to anything. They trust me." He began walking forward, and then nodded towards the barn. "Besides, there were so many discarded clothes in there; they knew they weren't all my doing." A slight smile appeared, and his snow-white teeth glinted in the sun for a second. Then he realized it was 'the enemy, Lois' he was talking to, and he retreated back to his offensive mode. "So, what are you doing here?"

I raised a brow and couldn't resist a jibe as I climbed from behind the Ford's wheel. Chloe and I could never help ourselves when it came to sarcasm. "Oh, I just wondered if you'd like to be this week's sacrifice for the local Smallville coven."

That remark earned me a roll of his eyes and a deep sigh. For a second he seemed almost wary of me, and I had the intense feeling he might just turn tail for the house and ignore anything else I said. After a moment though, he took on an almost wounded expression and asked, "You still don't buy the witch story, do you?"

I shrugged. My father had brought me up to trust in science, things I could literally see or have proof of, but certainly not witchcraft and mythology. Until my trip to Smallville, the most amazing things I had ever seen were probably new army toys my dad always got to test out on the range. "This is _Smallville_, not Salem! Besides, I really don't believe in that kind of cra…"

Clark shook his head, cutting me off. "That's _exactly _why it could happen here! Since the meteor shower, bizarre things happen in Smallville all the time! You're Chloe's cousin; of all people you should know that."

I still wasn't buying it. Here he was, expecting me to believe I had been possessed by some French witch with not a shred of evidence save his trashed barn- and that could probably be put down to French brandy easier than a several centuries old cross Atlantic curse involving a French witch. If that wasn't enough, plaid boy was now suggesting that some alien meteor force had played a hand in it.

"Oh, c'mon, this isn't Midwich either, Clark! Unless you want to admit to being some alien child sent here to conquer the world?" I threw my arms up in the air, but all I got was a hurt expression for my mocking remark. I wouldn't truly realize why for years to come, but it must have sliced into his soul far deeper than I could have imagined possible.

"If you don't want to listen to the truth, why have you come here?" The farmboy's voice had dropped so low that hearing it instantly made me feel guilty. His eyes stared effortlessly at the dusty driveway, and he seemed to not want to look me in the eye.

It hit me then that if I truly had hog tied him, and hurt him like Jason had told Chloe, well then maybe I was being the rude one. My dear daddy had trained me a little too well in the art of being detached, and now it was biting me in the butt like a coyote. Of course, it wasn't just my ill-timed way of thinking that caused the sudden remorse on my part, it was Clark too. The spark was already there- just that little something I was yet to recognize that would later turn to affection and more between us.

"Look," I offered in my best rueful tone, "I know I did something. I can't even remember what the heck it was I did do. If you're so sure it was some black art from the past, show me!" Here I was, wanting the facts in front of me again, "Take me to those caves and let me see what all the fuss was about!"

At the mention of the caves Clark almost choked. His eyes went wide and I could see he had no clue how to answer my demand. That was good, I knew I had hit a nerve, and that put me in a position of control. At least, I thought it had. Farmboy hadn't given into girl power just yet.

"No!" Kent looked back up at me then, his blue-green eyes dancing with fear and a strange commanding presence I would see a lot of later in Metropolis. "Believe me, the last place you want to go are those caves…" To assert the order, he crossed his arms in front of him, and took on a stance like some iron sentinel. The very image conjured up the idea in my head that he was not going to let me investigate further, or indeed walk passed him until he was certain I wouldn't try.

Clark should have known that saying no to a Lane is like flashing Superman's red cape at a bull- not a good idea unless you actually happen to be Superman, or indeed the bull. I stifled back a snort. "Why not? If you'd lost several hours of your life and we're accused of doing bizarre things in a barn, wouldn't you want answers?"

He didn't waver, and although the midday sun was now beating down on us both, and he had been tossing hay for Lord knew how long, his blue t-shirt showed no signs of perspiration- yet another small fact I chose to overlook at the time. We stared that way at one another for over ten minutes.

"The caves are dangerous." He finally replied.

I could tell from his mannerisms he definitely would have wanted answers, just like me, and so I kept the pressure on. "Come on, Smallville, if you come with me how can I be in any danger?" I pushed while I still had the edge, and it was clear he didn't know how to wriggle free.

"Just the outer cave," he finally conceded, "I don't even know how to get the inner chamber open again. That was something you witches had already taken care of when I arrived."

I smiled. I had won my battle and he didn't even realize it. I shook my car keys at him and flicked my head back gesturing he should hop into the passenger seat. Clark seemed to hesitate then, and I saw his gaze venture towards the house. I knew what he was thinking, and it was _not _something I wanted him to do. "Whoa! Don't you even think about going blabbing to your parents! Didn't you cause enough trouble when you fessed up to visiting the ruins of Chloe's safe house?"

A flash of guilt crossed his almost perfect features, but I had trouble telling whether he had regretted confessing that day, or whether the guilt was for what he was about to do. Either way, he surprised me with his answer.

"My parents aren't home. Mom's at the Talon and Dad is at the feed store." Plaid boy walked past me then straight towards the farmhouse. He didn't supply an explanation, but when he returned he'd slipped on his letterman's jacket and had cleaned up. I suspected he'd probably also left the Kents a note, and the thought annoyed me. I remember thinking that the guy never did anything risky, which of course wasn't true. Still, later on I would be extremely thankful of Clark's forethought, and the note that probably saved both our lives.

The Kawatche land was quiet when we arrived. Not a bird or cricket chirped anywhere. In fact, only my Ford's engine broke the interminable silence. I hadn't remembered it being this way, but then I didn't really remember the caves at all except that I had seemingly 'woken up' there.

A tall mesh fence cordoned of the land and the entrance to the underground caverns, and displayed right across it on large white boards were the warnings that this was indeed private property, and there was to be no trespassing. The words highlighted in red only strengthened my resolve to get in, and I did after all have the perfect key- Kent was very much in favor with the Luthors.

"So, do we need to tell anyone we're here?" I looked across to Clark as I parked my car as close to the fence as I dared, and then grabbed my purse.

"I don't usually have a problem, but…" Clark's sentence was left trailing as he glared at something inside the perimeter. His eyes were wide enough to tell me it wasn't something he'd expected, and it wasn't good.

I climbed out anyway and took a look for myself. Reluctantly he followed. It was then I spotted the goons. There were at least four black suited individuals that looked like CIA operatives prowling the Kawatche land and cave entrance. I'd seen enough army training in my time to know these guys meant business. I had no doubt they each had a weapon under their jackets, and probably an ankle holster too. What I didn't get was why there was suddenly a need for such security.

"Something going on here you're not telling me, Smallville?"

Clark shook his head and was evidently as baffled as I was. He approached the gate a few yards away, clearly hoping once he introduced himself to the guards all would be well. It wasn't.

"Stay back, Kid. All access to this area is now strictly prohibited." The burly security officer reached his left hand towards his jacket and the 45 that was concealed beneath. By then, even Kent took the hint that we weren't getting in this way.

"Remind me to call Lex when we're done here…" Clark scowled at me and walked pretty rapidly back to my car.

"You mean we aren't done here?" I was suddenly liking his new attitude. Kent was going for the full frontal too instead of backing off. Maybe I could work with this guy after all.

Clark smiled cheekily and cocked his head slightly to one side. Now I was seeing why Chloe liked the dude so much. "Take the car far enough down the road so those guys think we've gone, then park it up out of sight." He grinned at me, and I was reminded of the day I'd knocked him into the dunk tank with just one throw.

Suddenly, I wanted to dunk him again just for the heck of it, but I followed his instructions anyway. "I take it you know a back way in?" I asked as I churned dirt all over my freshly cleaned car getting off the highway.

"I used to race my bike here with a friend. That's how I first discovered the caves. Maybe we can still get in that way…"

I shook my head sarcastically. What had dirt bike racing got to do with ancient Native American caves? "Bike racing connects to underground caves, how exactly?" I couldn't resist the query as I trudged after him into the thicket, abruptly thankful I was a jean and t-shirt kinda girl. "What did you do, fall of your bike into one?"

He grinned again. "Actually, yeah I did…"

I felt my cheeks begin to turn a rosy crimson and was helpless to stop them. I never normally blushed, especially not over something so trivial, but 'plaid boy' was starting to get to me. I wanted to shoot a retort at him about typical hick drivers, but before I had the chance Clark grabbed my arm like a vice and yanked me behind a nearby bush.

Had I been thinking straight I would have kept my big mouth shut, but somehow my brain had diverted into definite 'girly' thoughts- again, something that didn't happen too often with my tomboy upbringing. "Hey, I'm not that kinda…"

Clark put his hand over my mouth and I was tempted to bite into it. Luckily for me, I spotted Lex's goons and appreciated farmboy's intentions before I smashed my front teeth on his unbreakable skin.

Apparently the 'men in black' hadn't fallen for our little ploy, and had decided to send out a couple of scouts to make sure we didn't get to snoop. I still didn't see what the big deal was about the caves, but whatever it was my overly active jaw had just alerted them to our presence.

"C'mon!" Clark yanked at me again, tugging me to my feet, and this time I didn't resist.

I could hold my own in a fight and had proved it on too many an occasion. I was sure Clark could pack a punch too, but neither of us could stop a bullet if the guards decided to open fire. Well, that was as much as I knew, wasn't it? Clark could not only stop a bullet, he could catch one too if the need arose. Of course he didn't want to reveal that in front of me or Lex's goons though, so we made a run for it.

Even without his extra speed that I was oblivious to, Clark was a pretty mean sprinter. Had I not taken several assault courses with dad's unit I might not have been able to keep up, but then in hindsight that may have been a good thing.

We dashed across the piece of land just before two of the 'men in black' spotted our hidden position. I don't really know what happened next. Everything seemed to slam into hyperdrive, or that was the way it felt. I heard a crack and recognized the sound as a bullet being fired, or was it two bullets?

It didn't matter, the next moment Clark was pitching forward and I was carried with him. His grip on my arm, and sheer momentum jerked me off my feet and we were both falling into what appeared to be a black chasm. All I remember from the tumble was one never-ending thought. 'Clark's been shot, and we're now both going to die crashing into some cave floor like a brick'. Okay, so maybe that's a kind of poetic way of putting it. Maybe my real thought was something a little less floral, and a little less PG related, but it boiled down to the same thing.

As it happened, one part of my description was pretty darn accurate. Oh yeah, we hit that jagged rock floor like a brick- a ten ton one with no cushioning.


	2. Past Tense Part 2

I don't know how long I must have lay there in the darkness. I recall the light from the small opening above shining down into my eyes like some distant beacon, but my body just didn't want to move or acknowledge that I was still in the land of the living. I guess I must have been dazed from the fall, but at least I wasn't dead.

Dead. The word rolled around in my skull for awhile, and then I suddenly remembered why. I wasn't the only one who'd crashed through some weak section of earth. Kent had stumbled through the fissure first. Well, stumbled or worse had been shot. I moved an arm, testing myself, and found my grazed elbow digging into something warm and soft.

It didn't take much imagination to realize I was sprawled out flat right on top of Clark. The farmboy had broken my fall, but at what cost? As I lay there I didn't even sense the rise and fall of his chest even though I was perched on it, and that scared me.

"Clark?" For the first time that day real guilt tinged my voice. I'd almost forced him out here, and now he was lying unconscious or worse because of my selfish attitude. "Clark!" My words came out almost a shriek, and I forgot all about the Luthor goons that could be lurking somewhere above us. For a moment, against my better judgment I even wanted to shake him.

Still Kent didn't answer, and so I finally pushed myself and rolled away from his motionless form. Every sinew in my body ached from the jarring action as we'd both impacted with the rocky cave floor, but I was sure he'd shielded me from death.

Eventually, I dared myself to take a closer look at him. I was already convinced he must be dead or have serious injuries, and a smear of sickly red blood on the cavern's uneven base seemed to confirm my thoughts.

I reached my hand out anyway, and noticed just how much it was shaking. Me, shake, now there was a first! "Get a grip Lane, you've dealt with worse." Indeed, I had seen some pretty gross things in my life, but somehow this felt different- wrong even.

_Clark shouldn't be here and he shouldn't be hurt._ I don't know where the thought came from. It was like some sixth sense that I wasn't to know was right for many years to come. At the time it seemed crazy, heck I was lucky I didn't break my neck, so why was I assuming Kent should be any different?

I shook myself and edged closer on my knees. I'd had every intention of feeling for a pulse this time, but a large and still reasonably forceful hand shot out and stopped me.

Clark groaned then, and his eyes fluttered open to grimace at me as he held my wrist. "Do you realize how much you weigh?"

I scowled back, but my concern didn't fade with his attempted wit. "I weigh enough," I shot the reply at him while looking him over for bullet holes or at least the source of the blood. "Did they hit you?" I asked after finding no gunshot wounds.

"No." Clark's answer was firm, yet he looked deathly pale, and it was obvious he was hurting. He glanced down then and scowled as he tried to pull up into a sitting position.

I followed his gaze and could at last see the problem. The cavern floor wasn't flat. In fact, it was littered with small emerald rock shards, and what I rightly presumed were meteor fragments.

Kent had landed right on top of a particularly jagged section of the stuff that was deeply embedded in the ground- or rather his leg had landed on it. If his body had taken the green spike he'd have been a candidate for Smallville cemetery.

"Let me look." I felt more confident now. Plaid boy was conscious and I felt back in control. He squirmed a little, but didn't argue as I checked his thigh. He didn't seem to have the strength to fight my prodding.

Thankfully the gash wasn't all that deep. It was angry looking and elongated, but I was sure it was the source of the blood I'd spotted earlier. If that was all we'd both suffered, we were pretty darn lucky. "You'll live." I offered, attempting to sound casually jovial, but he wasn't really listening.

Instead, farmboy was looking around the cave as if his life depended on finding something. At first I thought he was looking for a way out, but in his shape no way was he doing any climbing.

His eyes darted to every darkened corner and crevice, and as I watched he appeared to become increasingly frantic and sickly looking. In the end he seemed to find what he was searching for. "Help me into that corner, please…" It was like he was begging, and I just didn't see the reason. How could I when I'd never even heard the word Kryptonite, let alone know if he remained exposed to it death would follow?

"You shouldn't move. What if you're leg's broken, or you have other injuries we don't know about?" My argument was reasonable, but flawed, and he picked up on my mistake and used it to his advantage.

"We can't stay here, we're right in the light from the opening…" He was panting now, "If Lex's people come back they could just shoot us where we sit. We need to get into the shadows…hide…"

I rolled my eyes at him. It was a valid point of course, but I knew Kent was making up some bizarre excuse. "And your leg?"

To reinforce his plea he abruptly strained his eyes at his injured thigh. What he learned from squinting at a torn jeans leg baffled me, but when he looked back up he gulped and said, "It's not broken."

I stood up then and couldn't stop a small derisory laugh. "Gee, don't tell me, Kent, you're going to be a doctor when you grow up!" I didn't intend to sound quite so mocking, but he looked so sick I thought it might jolt some sense into him. It didn't.

Instead, Clark began trying to drag himself to the back of the cave where he'd indicated earlier. If I'd had any sense I would have spotted the lack of meteors there, but I was so angry and scared that I didn't. I did, however give in and gave him a hand.

Wow, I can tell you one thing, alien farmboy's are not light, and I told him so! I mean, come on, I had to get my own back after his comment about my weight!

As I propped him up against the cave wall he seemed to breathe a little easier. At the time I thought it was my imagination, but of course it was not- he was further away from the deadly green radiation there.

"Thanks." Clark let out a huge sigh that looking back was definitely one of immense relief. He still shook a little though, and so I took of my own small jacket and put it over his legs like a blanket. I was no medic, and so quite wrongly guessed maybe it was shock, not meteor poisoning.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine now." Clark's puppy dog eyes abruptly settled on me, and his brow furrowed. "What about you? Are you sure you're alright?"

I licked my lips and tasting a salty, iron-like tang realized he was staring at me because I had a patch of dried blood on my face. Even though he was the most hurt, he was worried about me not himself. I recall thinking Jonathan Kent had raised a real gentleman- a bit of a geek, but still someone far too self-sacrificing for today's world. "Nothing an Aspirin and two days in bed won't cure thanks to your thick hide!" I smirked at him, and couldn't help but notice the corners of his mouth crease in a slight smile back.

I turned then, hands on hips to take a second look at the height of the fall we'd taken. It was a vast drop, and the breach we'd smashed open was blatantly wide enough for Lex's, or whoever's men they were to have found us by now. I mean, they had to have seen us just vanish, right? So why hadn't a gun barrel been poked our way yet?

I didn't mention that to Clark. He had enough to worry about. Instead, I shielded my eyes from the cascading light that permeated the opening, and looked around our underground tomb.

My memories from the original Kawatche cave were pretty vague, but one thing was sure- this place was different. "There are no cave paintings in here…"

I glanced back to plaid boy and he was already nodding in agreement. I was tempted to offer the jibe 'We're not in Kansas anymore, Smallville' but I stifled the urge. It was probably a wise decision, or knowing what I do now, Clark might have decided enough was enough and zapped me with his heat vision just for my snark.

"It's like some antechamber the Natives never had access too. Maybe no one ever has." Clark seemed fascinated by the natural hollow, and as I was trying to fathom an escape route, I felt sure he was playing 'Indiana Jones'. Even though he was pretty immobile with his leg, his narrowed eyes began scanning every inch of the cavernous room for some hitherto unknown item. I thought maybe he'd bumped his head from the fall to suddenly be so intrigued by a stupid cave, but then he knew a lot more about Kawatche legend than I did.

"I don't suppose you have a cell phone?" I was being the practical one. He didn't answer so I assumed the answer was no. "Mine was in my purse, which I dropped at some point…maybe it fell with us." Abruptly it hit me that I too would have to start scouring the fissure. The only difference was I had two good legs and might actually be of use in finding something instead of squinting at the stone walls.

I edged forward, hunting through the dark shadows and crevices for my purse. It might not even be in the cave, but heck, I had to try.

"Lois!"

I whirled at the timbre of his voice. It had sounded so pleading and petrified at the same time. When I saw Clark's expression I didn't understand what the problem was. His eyes where almost popping out and one of his hands was outstretched, pointing in the direction I'd been searching.

"Lois…" This time Clark's tone was softer. Almost a whisper in fact. "Don't move any closer to that wall." He beckoned with his hand for me to rejoin him, but that only made me turn back and stare.

I never could stand being told not to do something. "What's the matter, afraid there's a witch besides me down here ag…" I never finished my sentence. My heart leapt into my throat, and I joined the farmboy's wide-eyed gape.

There _was_ another presence in the cave, and I was now staring right at it.


	3. Past Tense Part 3

_Thanks for the reviews everyone!_ :)

The thing was like some brilliant white light which seemed to ebb and flow before me. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing I envisioned as a spirit or ghost, but as my eyes peered at it I was almost convinced the entity was indeed some crazy witchcraft invoked specter.

The sheer intensity of the apparition was almost blinding after awhile, and its pallid iridescence intoxicated me. Instead of obeying Clark, I couldn't resist walking towards it.

"Lois! NO!" Kent was screaming desperately at me as if somehow he knew what my fate would be, but I was helplessly entrapped by some strange force invading my mind.

I ignored Kent, feeling suddenly annoyed at his whining, and the malevolent thoughts I had were abruptly not my own. My left hand outstretched through the brightness, touching the cave wall before me with a kind of loving caress. Except now, the wall wasn't a wall- at least not the solid stone surface my tactile senses had anticipated.

There was something more there- something too specifically formed and perfectly smooth to be a natural occurrence. The part of me that was still Lois unexpectedly had a feeling of fear, but not from anything supernatural. It was too late for me to matter though, because I was no longer able to control my own actions.

"Lois!" Clark pleaded one last time, but my back was to him.

I had a new agenda, a new mission…

The smooth shape on the rock face seemed to move beneath my palm, and I had expected it to, even though I knew that it was impossibility. More light came then, and something happened that I or rather the thing that had control of me, wasn't expecting.

The white aura around me flashed with a flare of electricity, and a blast of red heat seared through the strange light straight into the wall just inches from my hand. At the time I had no clue what had caused the phenomenon, but it shook me from my reverie. The ray had of course come from Clark's heat vision, and had he not intervened we may well both be dead today.

Another blast came then, only now the fiery, yellow beam was being emitted from where my palm had been seconds ago.

I whirled around just as the shaft of energy hit its intended target. Clark was dragged upwards from his seated position and slammed harshly against a low section of ceiling. It had no smooth sections like the wall I had touched, and I winced as I almost felt the pain for him as his back was rammed onto the spiky rock shelf.

I wanted to call his name as he had mine, but the moisture from my mouth and throat was gone- taken by the sheer terror of our situation. A croak was all I managed.

Clark looked down on me from his bizarre almost crucified-like pose with eyes that held more than fear. It was as if the thing that held him was squeezing him harder and harder into the granite wall. From his position I guessed he couldn't move to defend himself, and his features began to contort as if he was struggling with the effects of extreme G-force.

I ran underneath where he was pinned, carefully avoiding the beam that held him aloft. What I had intended to do I guess I'll never know, but at least I was making the effort rather than being some zombie, like only moments earlier.

"Clark…" He couldn't answer me, but whispering his name somehow made me more confident.

Bright red blood dribbled on me in a fresh surge from Clark's leg wound, and as I watched I realized in horror that it was being driven out by the pressure his body was under.

Temper hit me then. No, not temper, white-hot untapped fury! I remember thinking how my dad would have reacted, and words he often told me poured back into my incensed consciousness. _I'm afraid of no man, Lois. Remember that. And you should never be either! _Well, dad was a soldier, he was paid to be fearless, and the being I was facing was definitely 'no man', although I doubt dear daddy meant the latter in quite the same context as what I was confronted with.

It didn't matter, my gall had been brought to the fore and I was on the warpath. I wiped the blood from where it had splashed on my cheek, and then spun back to challenge whatever was emitting the hellish golden beam. I wasn't going to let it kill Clark without a fight, and heck, this thing wasn't getting into my brain in any kind of hurry again either.

Of course, I had no idea how it had invaded my thoughts in the first place, but a vivid memory of an insult I'd made to Clark gave me hope. I'd compared plaid boy to the mind reading/controlling alien kids of Midwich. Well in that movie the dude had focused his mind on a brick wall and didn't let his thoughts out to the enemy, maybe that would work for me too?

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to mess with a Lane!" I yelled my war cry like a banshee and charged towards the wall at full throttle, focusing my mind and anger on what was being done to Clark behind me, and attempting to shut the entity out of my thought processes.

The insane tactic appeared to work for about two seconds. Okay, so maybe half a second! Then, Clark howled in agony, and its evil decoy plan worked. In my concern for Kent, I dropped my guard and soon paid the price.

The presence was there in my head again, and I didn't even have chance to see what had happened to Clark. I grasped my skull, wanting to tear the phantom from my brain. I fought it every step of the way until the entity grew tired of my petty earthly struggling.

It picked me up then, just as it had Clark, only now it was even more irate at my meddling. The cave wall was not an enticing place, but it was where I soon found myself, and now I too knew how Clark had felt only minutes ago. It wasn't a pleasant sensation.

The thing didn't just hold me there, though. It brought me away from the wall and then slammed me back against it several times in quick unison. It was kind of like being used as a punch bag by Mike Tyson, and Tyson was wearing granite gloves!

When the pounding stopped I was barely conscious, but then 'It' had kept me that way on purpose. Looking back, I guess it had done much the same with Clark. We had a few lessons to learn yet, and I just knew I wasn't going to like the teacher…

I was sprawled out on the ground, blinking as my blurred vision tried to adjust and come into focus. Where was Clark? What had it done to him? Why hadn't it killed me? Thoughts that at least were my own were scrambled and a jumbled up mess in my cortex. I gulped, tasting grit mixed with blood from when I'd landed for the second time in one day on the cave floor.

I risked moving my head to look up, and was rewarded with an image of Clark lying on his back. His eyes were closed, and he didn't respond when I softly called his name. I wanted to do more, to crawl over to him even, but my body felt like it was cemented to the stone beneath me.

Clark's jeans leg was now soaked red with his own blood, but looking back, he had thankfully landed far enough away from the meteor rocks to be reasonably unscathed from their effects.

"_Kal-El…"_ A strong, unwavering voice resonated through the cavern. It reminded me of an old English professor who'd taught me- or rather tried to. He'd been an ass, just like this thing.

The light was back now, and it was bathing Clark and me in its eerie glow. I tried to shield my eyes, but I didn't even have the strength, so instead I simply waited for its next malicious move. I guessed wrongly as usual that it was speaking in some Kawatche language or tongue, and never once did it occur to me that it was addressing Kent. When there was no initial response to its ramblings, some of the words became discernable as English.

"_Kal-El, you must complete your destiny, you must finish the crusade."_

This time I understood the message. "I don't know who the heck you're talking to, but it's not me!" I muttered sarcastically and then rolled onto my side, daring to look at the light source.

When Clark had hit it with his heat vision, he had done enough damage to reveal something that shocked me. Remember, back then I didn't know Clark had caused it though, so I was even more mystified.

Inset in the wall that I had so tenderly stroked moments before was something man made. Okay, so maybe not _man _made, but certainly mechanical in origin. It reminded me of all the mainframes I'd seen when dad had taken me a tour of some Cheyenne Mountain facility years ago. Of course, this thing appeared more complex, but I recognized a souped up computer when I saw one. Were we getting our butts kicked by some central processing unit?

My first insane idea was that it was all connected to my father. After all, even after Chloe had been proven very much alive, he hadn't been in any hurry to get away from the local base. Was there always some secret agenda? Was this some secret military facility we'd stumbled on? The CIA type guards made it look that way, or was I being paranoid?

"_You will obey me!"_

"The hell I will!" I may have sounded like John Wayne at that point, but I didn't care. Spirits and witches might not be fightable, but a smart ass piece of metal was NOT getting the better of me.

I know adrenalin was Clark's favorite excuse, but at that point I think it was the only thing keeping me going. Not that my impudence got me anything other than another 'lesson' in manners.

"_Kal-El will fulfill that which is foretold. Interference will not be tolerated!" _

The commanding voice had taken a real dislike to me, I could tell that with its next action. I was picked up again, but not by my torso like my last encounter. Oh no, now I was getting the full treatment. It was like some golden lasso circling my neck and squeezing with some intense electrifying energy bolt. Later, I was to discover I had not been the first to undergo this wonderfully painful treatment, but I was glad to be the last.

My hands grabbed at its edges, but were repelled away. I was dying and there was nothing and no one to save me.

"_You are not part of Kal-El's destiny…"_

Oh yeah? Well that was as much as that smart alec knew, wasn't it?

Still, smart or not the darn thing was killing me. Every breath was like sucking in mere microscopic amounts of air because my windpipe was being put under such immense pressure. I heard my own wheezing noises and then silence as my world began to tumble into a kaleidoscope of grey hues.


	4. Past Tense Part 4

I know what you're thinking. How can I tell this story if I blacked out? Well, that's simple, either something miraculous happened and I didn't black out, or…or I did black out, and Clark told me the rest later. Some of it much later, because plaid boy wasn't revealing his true origins back then, but I can hardly blame him for that now can I?

Anyway, on with the tale. According to Clark, once the thing had subdued me it let go, and whack, I bit dust for a third ungraceful occasion. Basically, I was out of the game now, which left all the heroics up to farm boy. Fortunately for me, Clark wasn't as cataleptic as he'd been acting, and while the thing had been busy with me he'd had a chance to spot the same weakness I had.

The breach in its outer 'fake-rock' layer, or holographic façade had now shown him just what he was dealing with. It was something Clark could physically damage, and that thought spurred him on. As I hit the ground, he struggled to his knees and let loose another barrage of heat vision at the visible circuitry.

The thing retaliated as before, but somehow Clark mustered enough energy to dodge the first explosion of force with a quick 'superspeed' roll to the left. The movement put him perilously close to several Kryptonite boulders, but there had been little choice.

"_Kal-El, I am your father…you cannot defeat me!" _

Clark coughed as he was again caught by the fiery golden energy lance, and his arms flew back with the sheer power of his aggressor. "You're not my father! You're nothing!" He grimaced as the entity refused to yield its grip on his failing body, "Haven't you tried enough? Can't you see I refuse your destiny…I'll make my own future or I'd rather die!"

"_You cannot refuse me."_ Clark sensed the energy holding him waver. "_To refuse my wishes and your preordained fate would mean you renounce your Kryptonian heritage…to do so would mean…death…" _

I can only imagine how Clark must have been feeling at that moment. How can a father, even a computerized version of one, treat his only child like he was nothing? From what Clark told me though, he had at that point long past calling Jor-El a father- even a biological one.

"If dying is the only way to be released from your crusade then kill me!"

Clark was much braver than I ever could have been to suggest that to the thing, even though he did intend taking the entity with him when he died. I've often asked him what if his plan hadn't worked, but all I get back is that ever-boyish Kent grin and a recital of the tale yet again.

Apparently, Jor-El had anticipated carrying out his threat, and as Clark wavered in mid-air the being had unleashed its full power at the teen. Kent returned the favor with every last bit of heat vision he could muster. The way Clark describes it to me it must have been one heck of a light show!

Two concentrated beams of sheer energy slammed into one another with the force of a small bomb. Each potent shaft fought the other in push and pull tug of war that only one could win. Jor-El's ray was the most intense, sending yellow sparks of electricity flashing across the cave's interior, but Clark was the most determined. He told me he remembered squinting so hard his eyes felt like they were on fire, but he kept up the barrage of energy until he thought his body would give out, and his father would win.

In the end, some part of his strength of mind must have won through, because the cavern erupted in a flare of immense light and energy, and for a second it seemed like the sun itself had imploded. Sections of the rock walls tumbled to the ground as they were blown into rubble and mini boulders. And as the dust settled, Clark and I both lay on the cave floor motionless.

As I recall I was the one who came too first. I pushed up into a sitting position and brushed off some of the loose debris from my blouse. Even the slight movement made me wince due to a multitude of cuts and bruises.

"Remind me never to go out with you on a date if this is what just visiting a historical site gets me!" I snorted out the comment through a bloodied nose and then realized Clark still wasn't stirring.

Things started coming back to my concussed mind then. The cave hadn't just collapsed in on us, there had been something else here- something inherently evil. I put a hand to my throbbing temple and then shuffled worriedly over to plaid boy.

"Clark?"

"I don't date witches…" The words were slurred, but I smiled at his response. "Oh, and you need to fix your hair…"

I swatted him gently for that, and then unconsciously brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "What happened?" It was the obvious question, and I got the usual Kent panicked and bemused expression in return. Had he been in better shape maybe I would have pushed more for answers, or would I? You see, he really had got to me even then, I'm sure of it.

In spite of everything though, Clark was still bleeding from his leg wound and needed help, and this time (alien or not) I was sure he was in shock. Fighting Jor-El's presence in a Kryptonite infested cave had almost killed him. Okay, so I didn't know half of that then, but I knew a half dead farmboy when I saw one.

I tore my blouse sleeves into several strips and pressed them over the cut to his leg. Clark inhaled through gritted teeth but didn't complain. "Thanks," he shivered as he spoke, and it was then I realized we needed to discover some kind of way out. It was just fine and dandy that the thing had gone, but we couldn't sit in a collapsed cave for very long the condition we were in.

It was already turning quite cold in the hollow, and as I glanced up to the opening in the ceiling I could see darkness beginning to fall.

Clark must have read my mind. "You nee…need to leave me and see if there's a way out of this p…place. Maybe there's a tunnel or something that leads… back to the original Kawatche site." His voice faltered as much as his tired body shook.

"No way farmboy! I'm not leaving you like this!" Sometimes Clark came out with the stupidest ideas considering his gifts and parentage. I mean, even if there had been a way out I couldn't have made it. Old Jor had broken some of my ribs with his granite kissing reprimand, but Kent must have been mad to think I'd leave him half dead anyway.

"Lois, you could bring my dad back here with the pickup. Maybe he could use the winch…" Plaid boy must have been delirious. As if I'd go running to the Kents _if_ I could have escaped the cavern. The first thing I would have done was call the emergency services. It was a moot point anyway- we were trapped.

"Listen to me, Geek. You need stitches at the very least in that thigh, and unless you plan on your mom doing it with her darning needle I think you need professional help." I waved my bloodied palm in front of his face. "See, your blood, and its still oozing out."

"You should look in a mirror!" Clark shot me a weak look but didn't try to get up from where he lay. I guessed that meant he felt as bad as we both looked. Heck, I know I certainly felt as bad as he looked!

"I'm just having a bad hair day." I grinned this time, and then sat back against the wall with his head cradled in my lap.

All I wanted to do was snooze, and Kent was only half conscious anyway.

"Lois…"

It sounded like he wanted to tell me something, but I stopped him, "Shush, just relax. Maybe if we rest up awhile we'll have the energy to get out of here _together._"

I knew it was a lie. The stone ruins from the cave-in around us had blocked even the smallest of fissures. We would simply lie in the cold, damp hole until hypothermia, shock, or starvation finished us. Frankly, I doubted it would be the latter, but my empty stomach had suddenly decided to tell me it was hungry.

The thought made me decide I should keep talking and keep plaid boy awake. "You know, I could just eat a home cooked meal… steak, peas, potatoes…"

"UGH!" Kent made such a retching noise I thought he was about to convulse. Instead, I followed his gaze to a hellish green rock nearby as he explained his outburst. "Not PEAS!"

We laughed then. It hurt like hell to chuckle, and I had no clue what was so funny- or repulsive about peas, but for a brief while at least we didn't think about dying. That thought didn't rear its ugly head again until later.


	5. Past Tense part 5

I think I must have dozed for a short time, because when I awakened it was not only dark up above us, but I could see a cold, star filled night sky glaring down through the opening. I shook myself lightly and noted Clark was still on my lap. He stirred too at my movement.

"Cold…" He mumbled a little, "must get more blankets…"

I prodded him with a fingertip. "Hey, there are no blankets down here, Smallville. Although you seem to think my lap is a pretty good excuse for a pillow!"

Clark's eyes opened fully and he looked around. "No one came…"

I let my eyes drift skyward in consternation. "Well, I'd say they're not very likely too, given the fact no one has a clue where we are. We're going to rot down here!" I peered back at the ceiling section we'd crashed through in puzzlement, "I still don't get how those goons who chased us didn't see where we fell, though."

Clark cleared his throat and pulled his body grudgingly into a sitting position. He slowly rested his back against the wall, and stretched his injured leg out in front of him. He rubbed at my makeshift dressing absentmindedly as he spoke. "I was thinking about that. What if the entrance was meant to be shielded somehow? Like secret access panels they used to have in old castles and mansions?"

"Oh great!" I threw my hands up and instantly regretted it. I was going to need a few days in bed, if and when we escaped. "So, basically you think we can see out, but no one else can see in?"

Clark's head cocked to one side and he considered it. His eyes seemed to stare at the hole for the longest time, and then he looked back to me. "It's possible the thing is still active, but maybe the cave-in deactivated it."

"That's a whole lot of maybes I'm not going to sit around and wait to come true!" Don't ask me how, but I tugged myself up then and stood beneath the breach. "HELP!" I continued screaming until my voice box almost gave out with the strain. "Somebody HELP!"

"Shush!" Clark couldn't physically stand and put a hand over my mouth, but I could tell he darn well wanted too. "Lois! I said quiet!"

Eventually I shut up, but only because I didn't have enough breath in me to do otherwise. It was then I heard why he wanted my silence. Somewhere above us it sounded like there was an engine running. Not too close, but definitely stationary.

"That's Lex's Hummer!"

Farmboy's clairvoyance didn't amuse me. I mean, how was I to know he had super-hearing? "And I suppose you do really good card tricks too?" I shook my head, but despite my sarcasm we both began to yell. I didn't care if it was a Hummer above or a beat up truck as long as they heard me.

"Clark? Lois?"

At the sound of the familiar voice I exhaled and almost collapsed with relief. Jonathan Kent was looking intently at us from above, deep unease etched on his normally genial features. About two seconds after Clark's dad appeared, Lex's head bobbed into view beside him.

I didn't realize it at the time, but apparently Jonathan and Martha had found Clark's note, and after he and I had not returned from the caves, Jon had gone right on over to the Kawatche site. He'd been confronted by the same heavies we had, and so had gone straight to the Luthor mansion. It hadn't taken Lex long to interrogate his people and discover they'd chased us. Just why they'd pursued two kids with such vigor is a tale for another time, but suffice to say for the moment Lex was on our side.

Once they knew where to start searching, it hadn't taken Jonathan and the Machiavellian millionaire long to hear our pleading cries of desperation.

"Just hang on you two. I'll call the emergency services." Lex pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open like some Star Trek communicator. Somehow, everything the bald entrepreneur did always had a sense of flair and class. "Are either of you hurt?"

"Wait, Lex." It was Jon, "We could be hauling them out while you're wasting time on the phone!" There was a strange urgency to the father's tone I couldn't quite put my finger on, but either way, a full blown argument ensued between a panicked father, and an incensed rich boy.

I folded my arms in amazement as they seemed to actually forget the two people they'd come to rescue in favor of quarrelling. I thought Clark would be pretty shocked at their behavior too, but when I shot him a glance he had edged further towards the emerald rubble on the cavern floor and was looking decidedly uncomfortable. I didn't know whether it was the row above that was bothering him, or his leg, but either way I intended getting out of the fissure before either became a major problem.

"Hey! Do you think that Hummer of yours might just have a winch so we can be getting out of here while you two cowboys duke it out?" I was angry, and I bark like a four star general when that happens. I have my dad to thank for that.

Lex's brow furrowed and his right eyebrow arched up in incredulity. "How did you know we'd come in my Hummer?"

"Does it matter? Just get us the hell out of here, will you! Clark hurt his leg." I added the latter part in hope it would make the two feuding men pull together, and it seemed to work. Although the abrupt expression of concern on Jonathan's face had me wondering just what was going through his head. I mean, surely they had considered we might have injuries?

Both men vanished from view, and seconds later we heard the Hummer growl back into life. Jon's voice was ever present as he guided Lex to reverse up to the opening so that his vehicle's winch was as close as possible. Shortly after, Jon's head reappeared and he was directing the mini-hoist's steel cable towards us.

I glanced over to Clark and he was wincing like someone had danced on his thigh- maybe even a whole football team had from his expression. "I think the whole ladies first thing better get wavered this time…"

I could tell he was going to protest, but he seemed to have very little energy to stop me, so I wrapped the cable around his waist and tugged for his dad to begin reeling in the slack. Two minutes later and we were both back topside.

That was when it happened. It seemed absurd really, given his current condition, but as Clark lay on the ground near Lex's Hummer, I could have sworn I head his dad whisper something bizarre. No, in fact I know I heard him say it.

"Son, what's going on? Why aren't you healing? You know you can't go to the hospital, they'll know…"

Lex had finished securing his winch and interrupted. "Mr. Kent, I'm calling an ambulance." I could tell the millionaire was actually scared for Clark as he watched the teen writhe where he was propped.

Heck, I was concerned too, and like a fool I joined in the new argument on Lex's side. Jonathan was outgunned and he knew it. Like it or not, Clark was going to Smallville Medical Centre right along side me.

Clark and I rode in the back of Lex's Hummer to the hospital. In fact, Jonathan joined us too, sitting next to Clark on his right side rather than sitting up front with the annoyed millionaire. Lex had still wanted to call for paramedics after seeing Clark's sickly pallor, but his dad's protests, and a categorical no from Clark had been the only thing to stop him.

Now, as the military-like vehicle pulled into Smallville Medical Center's parking lot, I was beginning to see Lex's point. Clark couldn't even sit up straight, and Jonathan had an arm around him supporting him in definite fear. Still, Clark refused the offer of a gurney or wheelchair, and insisted on trying to get inside under his own steam. Now _I knew_ he was a geek, and a pretty dim one. I didn't get what he was trying to prove, and I sure as heck didn't get why Jonathan let him attempt it. He was Clark's dad, and he was clearly concerned, so why all the reluctance?

Lex was furious too, but he bit his lip and held back, I'll give the rich boy that. He knew when to back off, which was something I never did- I still don't in fact. Perhaps that's why I ended up a reporter.

Inside the hospital, Jonathan managed to settle Clark on a chair while he and Lex both spoke to the nurse on reception. I took the opportunity to tell farmboy just what I thought. Not that my opinion went down any better than our first visit to the place had. That time when I'd found him wandering around naked and clueless he'd physically picked me up off my feet to escape the hospital!

"What is it with you? You look like crap and you still won't let anyone help you!" I glanced around and noticed a doctor was heading towards us. He seemed to recognize Clark but not me. "Are you going to be as stubborn when they take you in a treatment room?" Clark screwed his face up and only appeared to hear half of what I was saying. If I hadn't known better I'd have said he was struggling to even stay conscious, "I know all about you're little needle phobia, Smallville, but it isn't going to save you this time…"

He groaned then, either from my comment or the intense pain he was feeling- and I don't mean from his leg.

"Who blabbed? Was it Chloe or Lana?" Plaid boy leaned forward so far I expected him to fall off his seat, and I grabbed his arm to hold him steady.

"It doesn't matter who it was. I'm making sure you get fixed up, even if I have to stand and watch them!" Over at reception the nurse pointed to the approaching physician and I guessed she'd called him. Clark and I must have appeared pretty bad off to get such prompt attention.

Jonathan and Lex rejoined us then, just in time for Dr. Jaeger and his words of wisdom. (And no, I'm not psychic. I read the doc's nametag, okay?) "It's Clark, isn't it?" He gave me a cursory glance, but quite rightly put his attention on farmboy. "It looks like you've gotten yourself quite a cut there," the doctor probed my makeshift dressing and then announced what I already knew- well we all did. "You're going to need quite a few sutures in that, young man. Let's get you into a room…"

I could tell from Jaeger's face he was bothered about more than the thigh wound, but Clark looked panicked, as did Jonathan, and it was pointless spooking them both more. I mean, Clark had the sickliest tinge to his skin I'd ever seen, but I wasn't about to give him a mirror, you know?

Anyway, I don't think for one minute I was supposed to be there, but I followed the little entourage into an exam room rather than waiting for attention for my own injuries.

Jonathan helped Clark sit and stretch his bad leg in front of him, and it was then I spotted the raised brow of puzzlement from the rugged farmer. It was just like he was saying 'What on earth are you doing?' to Clark with just his facial expression.

Clark grimaced back, but he appeared almost apologetic. It was the weirdest exchange I ever saw!

Next came the fun part. Okay, so it wasn't funny for poor Clark, but I couldn't resist a small giggle at the time. Jaeger and a nurse appeared with a tray, and guess what was on it? Oh yeah, needles!


	6. Past Tense Part 6

The doctor picked up an empty syringe and was about to fill it when Clark went slightly crazy. He held out a hand and was so all fired up I thought he'd bust a blood vessel. "No needles. Just sew my leg up." He was obviously struggling to even speak without gasping.

"Son, it's just a local to numb the area around the wound. I can't suture a gash that large without giving you something to stop the pain."

"Oh yeah, you can." Clark's face screwed up in agony, but he looked to his dad knowing the doctor couldn't move without Jon's approval.

Jonathan licked his lips and gulped. "Please just do as he asks and stitch his leg, doctor." He said it so stoically it was like watching a movie- a bad B movie.

I gawked, forgetting my own aches and pains. "Are you two real? If I get offered pain meds I take them, I don't sit and suffer like some masochist!"

The doctor blinked at me. I'm sure he thought he'd got some wild family circus in his hospital. What else could he assume the way we were acting? He glanced back to Jon and Clark, unsure quite how to react to the whole situation.

Clark broke the moment with a sharp intake of breath. "Will you please deal with my leg!" I thought he was going to pass out then, and I think Jaeger did too.

The harassed doctor nodded to the nurse with him and she started cleaning up the gash to Clark's thigh. Meanwhile, Jaeger decided to take a closer look at his patient because the teen looked pretty sick, maybe in shock even. Clark didn't like the added attention one bit. I've never seen anyone squirm so much.

He scowled at me, and I snorted back. "Stupid, macho plaid boy!" It was then I recognized that I sounded like one of the Kents' pigs. I rubbed under my nose and discovered a huge scab of blood. It was gross.

Luckily for me, or not, there was a mirror on a nearby cabinet. I scooted over and screwed my face up at my own reflection. I looked like I would fit right in on the farm with Clark…wait, it was worse than that, I looked liked a scarecrow! My hair was matted, and I felt sure my nose was busted.

I rubbed at it pitifully. "My nose, I'm sure it's broken, dammit!" I whirled back just as Dr. Jaeger started patching-up Clark's leg. Needless to say, Kent wasn't amused at my self-sympathy. Why would he be when someone was poking a needle through his 'super-skin' and he had to sit and take it or be exposed. I carried on, unabashed. "I'll probably end up like that 'Scabby Abby' girl. I mean a crooked nose at my age…"

I'm not usually that fickle about my looks, but that day I was kind of upset. I'd been through a lot, but then again, so had Clark- a whole lot more than me if only I'd known it.

"You're nose isn't broken, Lois." It was a low growl through gritted teeth. He was like a wounded bear, and a helpless kid all in one package.

"Oh, and how do you know?" I scoffed, "Got x-ray vision have we, Smallville?"

Jonathan's face was a picture at that remark. His eyebrows shot up and he gave Clark such an odd look that I almost came out and asked what was going on. How was I to know I'd hit the nail right on the head?

"I think you should wait outside, Lois." Jon's voice wasn't angry, but I knew he would drag me out if I didn't leave. "In fact, I think you better get yourself looked at. I don't want General Lane on my back for not making sure his daughter got treatment."

I sympathized with Mr. Kent. Daddy would go ballistic when he found out what I'd been up to. And the fact I'd been with Clark at the time wouldn't help. Dad was so over protective sometimes that I could scream. I didn't want to leave the room though, because things were so out of whack it was kind of intriguing and fun.

"I'd like to stay till I know Clark's alright." I said, stubbornly.

Clark flinched as another stitch went in and then expressed an intense desire for me to go. "Lois! Will you let a guy suffer in peace!"

Lex decided to swap sides at that moment, and after I'd supported his cause earlier to get plaid boy here! He took a firm grip of my already bruised arm and curtly escorted me towards the waiting room.

"I think we should go give your father a call…"

I knew he was telling me to move my butt out of the Kents way, but I didn't like it one bit. As we reached the door I spun back around, pulling from his grasp, and it was then I saw the craziest thing.

Dr. Jaeger had completed suturing Clark's leg, and the nurse had just about finished dressing it. Jonathan had moved closer now to Clark's side, and as I watched, in that split second I saw farmboy slip something into his father's hand- something very green and rock shaped. Now I know in itself that doesn't mean a thing, but within seconds a nice rosy color had returned to Clark's cheeks and he was sitting up a lot straighter. He tried to feign still being a lil sore to the doctor prodding him of course, but even then I suspected it was all a front.

What on earth had I just witnessed? I wasn't sure, and my concussed mind didn't put the facts together, but it should have. Clark had known when Lex showed up with his dad that he'd never get away with not going to the hospital. Heck, I would probably insist too- and I had, hadn't I? So, he had done the only thing open to him. He'd grasped a small sliver of Kryptonite from the cave floor, and endured its evil effects until we'd all seen his leg get stitched up just like a normal person. It had been a brave move to risk meteor rock poisoning like that, or a darn fool one. I've chided him over it many times since finding out his secret. Not that it had been the first attempt at something dumb like that. He'd tried holding a piece to make playing football fair on the rest of the team- Martha had apparently bashed some sense into him on that occasion.

Anyway, the big dumb alien's plan had worked. Lex didn't see the rock 'exchange', and I kept my mouth shut as to what I'd been witness too- mostly because it didn't make sense.

I stayed 'bemused' about Clark for a long time after that, just like Chloe, and that brings us right back to where this story began, doesn't it? Now that you've heard my tale, I'll ask my question again. Is love really blind?

I don't know about love, but when it comes to Clark Kent the world truly is short sighted, just like I was. How else could he be Superman and no one recognize him as the ex plaid boy, mild mannered reporter I love so much?

Many times because of my job at the Daily Planet I'll get some member of the public ask me if I know who Superman really is. Well what can I say?

I simply look to the heavens, and subconsciously say to myself, "Know who he is? Oh yeah… heck, I married him!"

I'm guessing that got you all smiling, and thinking my little narrative is over, but there's something else you need to understand and know- something about Clark's biological father. Once I discovered Clark's secret and we became engaged, Clark explained to me the story about Jor-El and what had happened in the cave that day. He also told me he feared his father had truly been the evil man the A.I. had portrayed him to be. Was he? Well two weeks later I was about to meet the man behind the myth…


	7. Past Tense Part 7

_Thank You everyone for your kinds words about this story :)_

I was at home in my flat after a hard day at the Planet. I'm not really sure cooking was my forte, but I'd promised to attempt dinner that night because I knew Clark would probably be out saving the world as usual. I remember chopping onions and cursing every villain on the planet for forcing me to use my few culinary skills to bring tears to my eyes.

"Where's a super hero when you need one?" I groaned.

I guess Clark must have heard me with his super-hearing, because two seconds after my cussing I noted a soft thud on the balcony outside my window. It was a familiar noise, and I let the knife drop from my hand as I whirled to greet him.

"So, Smallville, what brings you out on a night like this?" I padded over to him and was relieved to see he was not wearing his 'Superman' garb. I'm ashamed to say it, but I dislike that costume on my man even more than I do plaid!

Clark smiled and took my arm, whirling me around until I bumped into his chest. Then he looked down at me with 'that look'. I could read the alien farmboy like a book. His little aerial arrival was not for dinner. I should have known that. I mean come on, Kent early for anything? No way!

"Lois…" The puppy expression melted me- almost.

I pulled away slightly. "You have something to tell me, and I'm not going to like it." I stared at him intuitively.

Clark nodded reluctantly and turned to look out on the city. His hands rested on the metal balcony railing reminding me of times he would rest on a fence back home and stare aimlessly at the countryside. He sighed, and then began his confession. "I have something I'd like us to see together. I think it might be important…"

"Something?" The big dumb alien knew just how to snare me. I joined him, leaning on the railing. "Is this a good something?"

"I don't know, but I need to see it." He answered honestly, and glanced behind me then to my jacket thrown on a nearby chair. "Come with me, Lois…" I followed those haunting blue-green eyes and he smiled again impishly this time. "You'll need your jacket." He smirked.

"Oh…there…" I gulped. Clark only usually told me I needed my jacket if we were going flying- and not to anywhere close by.

After our tumble in the cave, Clark had eventually discovered that he couldn't outrun every part of his Kryptonian heritage, and the 'Crusade' Jor-El had spoken of had still happened. Lex had been after the crystals, as well as some other nefarious parties. (No, I don't just mean the witches us girls got possessed by.) It had been in the teen's own best interests to retrieve the mysterious stones before someone with a very bad agenda had.

The crystals in turn had led Clark to a wondrous place with untold Kryptonian knowledge that he could utilize. After a barn fire took out his original 'Fortress of Solitude' it seemed apt his new Antarctic retreat should take on the name. (I warned him to watch what he was doing with the old heat vision in the loft that day, but heh, this was Clark!)

Anyway, Clark took hold of me and looked deep into my eyes when he saw my reaction to his suggestion. Heck, it was cold up there, and the place gave me the creeps if I'm honest. So desolate, so lonely- the very thought made me shiver.

"Lois, remember the day we fell in the Kawatche antechamber?"

"How could I forget?" I said sharply. "Please tell me you haven't been back there?"

"I uncovered the thing in the wall. With the knowledge I have now, I thought I might be able to decipher its original program." He crossed his arms in that typical 'I'm a hero and I'm not gonna yield' stance he had.

"Oh? And what if it had zapped you again? Or what if its original program was exactly what you got from it already?" We were dangerously close to a Clark/Lois fight- not a pretty sight I can tell you.

Clark exhaled and let his eyes look upon the city vista instead of me. "No, I know the truth now. That thing may have killed, tortured and maimed in the name of Jor-El, but it was not my biological father's fault. None of it was." His voice lowered to a barely inaudible whisper, "It was my fault…"

I rolled my eyes. If there was one thing Clark was great at besides saving butt, it was self-derogation. It was my turn to cross my arms. "And just how could it be your fault?"

"When we fell in the cave, the floor was littered with Kryptonite. Do you remember?"

I scowled. "How could I forget? You were dumb enough to torture yourself with a piece for an hour after just so you could get stitches!"

He was getting cross with me. I could tell. "Lois, you're missing the point." He took my arms in those huge hands of his and made me listen. "When I fell to earth in the meteor shower, some of the Kryptonite meteorites hit the cave. The thing wasn't acting on my father's wishes. It was acting on a corrupted program caused by a massive meteor impact!"

"Okay…" I was starting to see his theory- to a point. "But how does that make it your fault? Don't start that Kent guilt complex on me again! I saw enough of that from you in Smallville to last me a lifetime." I sighed, "And anyway, if you're theory is right, I want to hear the rest before morning! So get on with it!"

Clark smiled then, and the awkward moment was broken. "I am right. I've removed a section of the A.I.'s memory module…"

I gaped. It was just so easy to dismiss Clark Kent as a simple reporter. I never could get my head around him being some extra strong, smart alien. "And from our previous discussion I'm presuming it's now at the 'Fortress of Weird'?"

"Lois!" He hated it when I called his little hideaway that, but I he nodded, knowing I could never resist.

I grabbed my jacket from the chair and jogged back to Clark then, wrapping my arm around his neck. "So? What are we waiting for, Smallville? Or are you postponing take off?"

Clark grinned and I felt his knees bend slightly as we launched from my balcony.

It was the strangest sensation, but one I had already grown used too. Clark made me feel so at ease in his arms that I sometimes forgot how high we really were. Until I looked down, that is.

"Are you sure you were ever afraid of heights?" I asked as we zoomed out of the city and into the clouds.

Clark smiled sheepishly. "Even heroes have phobias…" He accelerated a touch, but kept his speed well below normal. Kent might be impervious to g-force and wind chill, but my body was not and he always kept that in mind.

"Yeah, well I'm sure glad it's one you grew out of." I glanced at a tiny speck below us that was actually a ship in the now icy waters of the ocean. "You did grow out of it, right?" I faked a gulp and we both laughed as the frozen tundra on the horizon rapidly turned into a birds-eye view of the Antarctic.

The Fortress of Solitude was just as I recalled it from my previous visit- barren and cold. What Clark saw in the place I'll never know, but it was his domain and I respected that. The place was like some giant ice sculpture, except it had many hidden depths known only to Clark.

I watched as he walked over to a crystalline wall in just a t-shirt and it made me shudder. Then, as he waved a hand over yet more concealed controls the wall changed.

"Oh boy, our own drive in!" I was being sarcastic, but the screen, or whatever it was looked big enough, if not bigger. "So, what exactly did you find in this undamaged memory module?"

Clark rejoined me and took my hand. "We're about to find out…"

The screen Clark had activated abruptly seemed to glimmer and its edges faded away until there was apparently nothing. From where its center had been a small dot appeared and grew larger until we could both see something forming.

I squeezed Clark's hand, scared that we were unwittingly falling into some trap of Jor-El's, but Clark held fast and stared as the phantom imagery became clearer.

It was a hologram I'm guessing, or Krypton's answer to one. And in a few short seconds' two strangely clad people in long, colorful flowing robes stood before us. I recognized neither, but Clark obviously did.

"Lara…mother…" He was mesmerized by the vision the moment it had materialized. He even stretched out his free hand towards the woman who looked at him so affectionately.

"Kal-El…"

I almost freaked when the male figure spoke. The voice was eerily familiar. It was the voice from the cave. I stared, rather rudely at the likeness. Underneath the graying hair and age lines I could see Clark. Well, not Clark, his father, but the similarity was uncanny.

Clark stepped forward before I could stop him- okay, so I couldn't have, but I'd have tried if I hadn't been so stunned at what was going on. "Father?"

I'm not sure whether the thing had been meant to respond to questions, but it appeared to.

"I am Jor-El, your father. The day has come for you to understand you lineage, your birthright, and your destiny…"

Clark balked at the word destiny, and I wasn't surprised. To his credit, he didn't attempt to switch off the unearthly message, though. "What is my destiny?"

I could see the trepidation as he waited for a reply. Now he would see his biological dad's true wishes-good or bad.

The image flickered, as if it was attempting some unknown subroutine. Perhaps being disconnected from the rest of its 'being', made it unable to answer, I'm not sure. I half expected it to say something like 'Insufficient data to respond', like on some Sci Fi movie, but then it shimmered again.

This time, Jor-El took the hand of the woman at his side and they walked towards us. I was thinking I'd feel a whole lot better with an Uzi in my free hand, buy hey, holograms aren't easy to drop unless you know where the CPU controlling them is located.

"Your destiny is to govern these people, my son. For in my experience they are a flawed race…"

I was getting a bad gut feeling. Heck, I'll be honest, I felt sick to my stomach. From Clark's expression I didn't know what he was thinking, but if alien's have acid heart burn, well then he had a double dose- and it wasn't from eating my cooking the previous day!

"Your agenda really was to have me rule?" Clark's head drooped to the crystal floor in disappointment. He had hoped for something more, something more like his earthly parents, the Kents. I could tell.

Jor-El didn't seem to take note of all his son's words, and continued with his own oratory. "They are primitive, heathen almost in some of their ways, my Son. I have seen their wickedness, and how they inflict pain on another for their own gain- sometimes death even." Now it was the phantom Jor-El's turn to lower his gaze. Was that a spark of sorrow I saw in the hologram's eyes? "I journeyed here long ago, Kal-El, I witnessed their wanton greed and malevolence…"

Clark's head snapped back up. "Louise…1961…"

At the time he hadn't yet informed me of that little adventure, so I kept my mouth shut and watched the proceedings unfold.

"Yes…" Jor-El appeared shocked Clark knew about his earth visit, which wasn't surprising seeing as half 'his' circuits had been fried by the meteor hit. He looked to the beautiful but silent apparition at his side, and Lara nodded and smiled back. "When I discovered Krypton's fate, I almost chose another planet to send you to, Kal-El. But then I remembered the one who had helped me. The one who above all else had had faith in a being he did not even know…"

Clark gulped. "Hiram Kent!"

Jor-El let a thin smile cross his features, but still appeared stoic compared to an earthly father- even my stubborn, cigar chewing version of a dad.

"When the hour came to send you away, Hiram Kent's time on this planet had already passed, but I knew there was another who would protect you and deliver you from the evils of this world- Hiram's then unborn child in the past, who is now your earthly mentor. That alone gave Lara and I hope. Hope for our son's future, and hope for a world that sorely needed guidance…"

Another flash of recognition showed on Clark's face, and boy was I feeling out of the loop just standing gawking.

"Hope…" Clark mouthed the word like it was some divine revelation. "Now I finally understand the symbol burned on the barn!" His brow furrowed, "I know you probably don't have the capability to answer, and I know the AI you left your wishes in malfunctioned, but WHY?" He emphasized the last word, "Why send me to rule?"

The image of Jor-El flickered, and for a second I thought he would vanish. Instead, he appeared to glide right up to us with Lara. I'm not going to lie either, at that point I was scared stiff!

"Once your crusade is complete and you have discovered your heritage, you will begin your future as fate decreed it. Here, on this planet, you can be a God among men, and if you utilize your powers wisely you will be able to rule without great force…"

"But I'm not a tyrant! I want to use my gifts to help, not hurt! Guide, not rule!"

Jor-El seemed puzzled. He glanced to Lara and she help out a pale hand, softly caressing Clark's cheek and then letting her immaterial palm slide through his features.

"Your father was a scientist," she gently smiled, "he never was very good with words if they didn't involve mathematical theories." Her head cocked slightly as she attempted to convey her husband's meaning, "Rule, govern, oversee…they all mean the same thing, my Kal-El. You must lead these people, not as a God, or a King, but as a force of good in their universe." Abruptly, Lara appeared sad, "We sent you here to save your life, my son, so that one day you may save many lives. There were risks of your true origins being discovered, risks that you would be taken away as an infant and destroyed due to archaic fears and beliefs about visitors from other worlds…"

I was beginning to see the bigger picture. "No wonder the program malfunctioned the way it did," I whispered, "It was getting your parents hopes and fears confused with their last wishes. It was trying to protect you from evils that weren't there one minute, and trying to give you instructions about this place and the crystals the next!" I poked Clark when he didn't respond, "Say, but didn't you tell me about some Kara girl? Did that thing really kill her?"

Clark cleared his throat. "Do you know what happened to the girl called Kara? The one who's real name was Lindsey? Some part of you, or your presence kidnapped her to trick me. I thought, I thought you killed her…" I could see it pained him that anyone had died for his sake yet again, but it was no ones fault.

"I do not have any information beyond your arrival here. There appears to be an error in those files."

I shuddered, and it wasn't the cold. For the first time that night Jor-El sounded just like what he was- a computer generated image.

"So you don't know any Kara?" Clark prompted.

"Kara Zor-El is your cousin…" Lara retook her husband's hand, "You will meet her again…"

"But the girl Lindsey?" Clark was getting confused.

Lara simply nodded, "Yes, Lindsey…Kara…your destinies are entwined…"

Jor-El took the lead from there and in no uncertain terms hinted that the meeting was over. "Our time has passed, my Son, but remember; we will be with you all the days of your life. Lead wisely, and with strength, Kal-El…"

For once in his life, Clark didn't denounce his birth name. He simply watched as the ghostly apparition appeared to fade away before him, and then at the last instant Lara's voice filled the ice cave.

"A mother's love never dies…Clark…"

The last remnants of the echo faded away, leaving a small tear trickling down my guy's face.

"She called me Clark," Was the only sentence he could muster.

I looked up at my plaid boy hero then and wiped the moisture from his cheek. Meeting his biological parents had given him more questions than answers, but it had also finally put to rest the hidden demons that still haunted his soul about being evil like his father.

"Come on, let's go home now. I think you got what you were looking for," I whacked him with a mock punch, "Now its time you put your strength to use like your dad said and rebuild that barn fortress. It's freezing here!"

My teeth chattered together for real, and he noticed and scooped me up in his arms with that grin of his. "Oh, I think I can come up with something to keep you warm…"

Now, Clark had inner peace. He had the love of his earthly family the Kents, and he _really _knew his Kryptonian parents were not monsters.

The Kent/El family was complete. Well, maybe not complete, but believe me, Clark and I are working on that little problem ;)

THE END


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